Month: March 2019

The 5th Annual Cookie Construction Build Day is a
wrap! After six months of planning, practicing and preparing, seven Cookie
Construction teams comprised of 30 female design professionals and 100 Girl
Scouts descended upon Crown Center to finally bring their “Underwater
Adventure” builds to life on March 2. Each team was given an 8×8 space to build
their structures and after 4 ½ hours of build time, girls dropped the glue guns
and tape, stepped away and marveled in their completed builds!

Frost Bite By: AntarchitectsMentor Firms: Klover Architects

Brr… Welcome to the icy waters at the ends of the Earth! You might think that due to the frigid temperatures and harsh conditions here that there isn’t a lot to do or much to explore, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! While there is a lot of fun happening above water, just like icebergs, there is even more to explore under the surface! Penguins, seals, whales, fish and even plants have found ways to make these icy waters their homes.

Our team wanted to
make a major statement with our build and focus on a few bold elements that
would catch the viewer’s attention. We were most inspired by underwater
discovery in movies, the goggles left by a scuba diver from the movie “Finding
Nemo” and the shocking and powerful shark from the movie “Jaws”. Through the
process of sketching and brainstorming as a team, we found that we could put a
creative spin on these two major elements. By playing with scale and creating a
lens for the viewer, the design is meant to make the viewer feel like they are
an underwater explorer making a surprising major discovery. In Girl Scouts and
in life, you never know what you might discover!TEAM PHOTO + BULD

Our team, Let’s Get
Kraken, decided to make “Treasure Untold:” a beautiful piece made of different
colors and types of cookie boxes. The piece shows a purple octopus opening a
treasure chest that has many items to represent treasure. Around the octopus
and treasure is colorful vibrant coral. On the bottom of our display are
shredded boxes to represent sand. The whole piece represents an underwater
exploration. The creators are showing how Girl Scouts all work together and how
we can come to an agreement. When you have teamwork, you can accomplish BIG
THINGS!T

The Girl Scout Pirates
of the North had to deliver Girl Scout cookies to SpongeBob. They set out on a
stormy night. Then, lighting struck the side of the ship. The ship fell down to
the bottom of the sea, hit the rocks and broke in half. SpongeBob wanted his
cookies, so he decided to go on an adventure to find them. He hopped on a
turtle for a ride, but the turtle got stuck in seaweed. The turtle had to eat
the seaweed to make his way out. He then followed a school of fish to a
colorful coral reef. There, SpongeBob found part of the ship, but also saw a
shark guarding it! The turtle helped him out by distracting the shark.
SpongeBob ran into the ship and found a treasure chest. Inside he found the
cookies he had been searching for!T

A Window to the SeaBy: Queens of ArgentineMentor Firm: BRR Architecture

Our build showcases a picture window to the ocean with all the unique creatures of the sea living in harmony. Our main structure implies the frame of a picture box with many different tiers featuring a wide variety of sea creatures swimming together through colorful underwater plant life. The structure is formed using a stair step method in order to achieve the highest visibility for all the creatures and to give them the illusion of floating through the water. The largest element of our build is the Girl Scout octopus who pushes the boundaries of her container, climbing out and fearlessly setting off to explore other worlds outside her own. Wearing her Girl Scout sash and her crown as a Queen of Argentine, she sets off to find new adventures and new friendships.

Our team invites you
to explore the depths of the ocean and the fantastic ruins of Mer-Catopolis.
This underwater world is home to mythical hybrid creatures named Mer-Cats.
Mer-Catopolis inspiration comes from ancient Greek and Roman architectural
elements such as ionic columns, arches, and monumental buildings. The city is
full of colors and textures that are derived from many types of coral and
algae. This lively environment and flora attract fish and sea life of different
varieties and sizes. The main square has a fountain displaying Poseidon’s
trident, where Mer-Cats gather to meet their friends. Everyone in Mer-Catopolis
feels happy and safe, as magical narwhals guard the doors to the city. These
guards protect the residents and the coveted treasure of the ocean, which hides
in a cave located at the edge of town. Welcome to Mer-Catopolis!

Our sculpture
represents life lost by depicting an underwater plane crash as well as various
stages of sick coral reef. The plane is thought to have traveled around the
world exploring until it crashed in to the ocean, ending up on the ocean floor.
Shown are various forms of sea life and plants interacting with the crashed
plane and other depictions of past life are represented through other elements
such as the helmet. The dying coral is also thought to show past life because a
coral reef is a living organism that is an important part of the ocean
ecosystem. Throughout our research we discovered that we know more about parts
of space than we do about the ocean floor.T

While the panel of Jurors evaluated each build, 41 Action
News Meteorologist Lindsey Anderson emceed program and Master Lego Builder Joe Nunnink
entertained the audience by speed building a seahorse out of Legos!

A panel of Jurors evaluated each structure on creativity in design, structural design, use of colors/labels, craftsmanship and adherence to rules & regulations. While all the builds had incredible details, personality, and were creative in their own right, the MerCats were presented with the Juror’s Choice Award! They loved their unique interpretation of the theme, use of narrative and their demonstration of knowledge of the history of architecture. The MerCats created depth and vignettes utilizing ionic arches to frame the scene, and incorporated the 2019 Cookie Program Mascot into those arches!

This program wouldn’t be possible without the support and
dedication of our female design professionals in the Kansas City and St. Joseph
areas. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, expertise and time with our Girl
Scouts!

The awards aren’t done yet; you can still cast your ballot
for People’s Choice Award! Visit Crown Center and see these impressive builds yourself
and vote for your favorite structure through March 22!

The 2019 Cookie Construction Program is a partnership with
AIA Kansas City and made possible with the support of Crown Center, BRR
Architecture & McCownGordon Construction.